logo-tech-centre-negativeInside the Research and Development department
From the idea to the end product. The details, the inside story, the reasoning behind every single technical choice. A journey inside the Miche universe. On the road that leads to excellence.
INITIAL BRIEFING
The first step of a new project is never the idea but the exchange. We listen to every enthusiast. We gather the needs, the demands of the market, our thoughts that have most likely matured while we were riding our bikes. This is how we shape a horizon. The use of new technologies and next-gen raw materials, as well as our passion for something we've been doing since 1919, are the path we take to reach the finish line.
DESIGN
Wheels, chainsets, cranksets, sprockets… For us efficiency goes well beyond the sum of the single components. Each project must - first of all - be technically sustainable. Data, measurements, shapes, formulas and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are what give life to the “digital twin”: a scientifically validated virtual model that ultimately becomes the first prototype.
PROTOTYPING
From the idea to the design all the way to the real-world sample object, where the components are moulded using rapid prototyping and 3D printing.
LABORATORY TESTING
Safety requirements, ISO standards and parameters set by the International Cycling Union (UCI). Through both in-house testing and validation by independent external bodies, we ensure that each and every one of our products is able to meet international standards. Exceeding them.
ROAD TESTING
The Champions are our best testers. The showcase comes later. The asphalt, the wood and the cement of velodromes, white roads, single tracks and the most impervious unpaved trails. This is the testing ground you must beat before moving on to the next stage.
PRE-SERIES
There is always a thrill when the finished product makes it to the table. Feelings count, but only to an extent because - just like when competing - even the slightest error in the final phases risks compromising the result.
PRODUCTION
The final act that projects our creations to the whole world. Thanks to next-gen CNC machines, we guarantee precise and reliable material machining. The special processes for anodizing AL 7075 T6 aluminium alloy, the use of high-resistance steel and variable-thickness carbon fibre are just some of the characteristics that allow us to maintain the stability of the mechanical properties of our products over time.
QUALITY CONTROL
Behind every stage of the R&D process there is quality validation. We establish a threshold that must not be crossed; we classify and identify stress conditions; and we strive to ensure that our structures are able to sustain heavy work loads. In other words, if the ideas, the technical drawings, the lab tests and the real-world testing do not meet the parameters we have set, we do not go further. It is not a process of trial and error but rather one of applying the Scientific Method from the very start.